A smoothed version of standardization, which merges kernel smoothing with the traditional standardization differential item functioning (DIF) approach, was used to examine DIF for student-produced response (SPR) items on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) I mathematics test at both the item and testlet levels. This nonparametric technique avoids…

This study used meta-analysis research techniques to determine if there are differences in General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validities and test scores between males and females. The sample consisted of 26,111 subjects from 122 Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) validation or revalidation studies analyzed since 1972. Four approaches were…

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which item parameters estimated on pretest data from the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) can be used for equating purposes in a situation where intact final form SAT testing data have normally been used. Items appearing in two final SAT-verbal forms were calibrated…

The question of whether colleges are doing better or worse in educating their graduates compared with previous years is addressed. Attention is directed to recent trends in average test scores of students at graduation, as well as what the scores represent. Information is provided on changes since 1966 in several tests of academic aptitude taken…

This paper is an overview of some points made at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association in April of 1987. Gender effects were computed on 82 nationally standardized tests designed to determine precocity among youth. The effect sizes ranged from a magnitude of 0.50 (favoring females) for spelling in grade 12 on the…

Data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test-Verbal (SAT-V), SAT Mathematics (SAT-M), and Achievement Tests in Biology, American History, and Social Studies were used for this study. The temporal stability of item parameter estimates obtained for the same set of items calibrated for different examinees at different times was analyzed. It was believed…

Computer Adaptive Sequential Testing (CAST) is a test delivery model that combines features of the traditional conventional paper-and-pencil testing and item-based computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The basic structure of CAST is a panel composed of multiple testlets adaptively administered to examinees at different stages. Current applications…

Our research question was whether we could develop a feasible technique, using Bayesian networks, to diagnose gaps in student knowledge. Thirty-four college-age participants completed tasks designed to measure conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and problem-solving skills related to circuit analysis. A Bayesian network was used to model…

This paper rates the technical aspects of 41 tests that match characteristics associated with giftedness, using criteria developed in "A Consumer's Guide to Tests in Print" (Hammill, Brown, Bryant, 1989). A summary of validity studies showing these tests' use in identifying gifted youngsters for special programs is also provided. In this sample of…

This paper described one part of an item response theory (IRT) feasibility study performed for the Aptitude Test portion of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). The dimensionality of the GRE verbal and analytical sections is discussed. The results of six different types of equating of the verbal section and four different types of equating of…

The K-ABC purports to be a fresh alternative to standardized measures of intellectual functioning, by virtue of separating measurement of acquired factual knowledge from measurement of the ability to solve novel problems. Some researchers have questioned this claim to the capability of distinguishing aptitude and achievement. By analyzing the…

This study was conducted to: (1) devise strategies to enable institutions of higher education to recruit talented students into teacher education; and (2) find the means for enabling "at risk" students to succeed on state mandated competency tests. The study identified and examined correlates of "at risk" and "at…

The performance of Hawaii's students on the College Entrance Examination Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) was assessed in the course of a reanalysis of data presented in a 1985 article by E. B. Page and H. Feifs. Separate analyses were conducted on the verbal and math scores used as criterion variables. The predictor variables included the…

Two independent studies were conducted to investigate possible differences in General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) aptitude M resulting from the use of different test equipment (wooden vs. plastic apparatus.) As part of a ten-year longitudinal study of Vocational Development being conducted in the Department of Vocational Education at The…

The three phases (finding seventh and eighth grade mathematically talented students, studying them, and helping them educationally) of the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) are detailed, and examples of the superiority of educational acceleration over educational enrichment are pointed out. Results of standardized intelligence tests…